Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has said that the series of stakeholder engagements with the FCT Area Councils and the proactive response of the security agencies were some of the key factors that led to the curbing of insecurity in the FCT and arrests of the notorious kidnappers terrorising the nation’s capital.
The FCT Minister who spoke extensively on several issues concerning the FCT, during a media parley in Abuja on Thursday, March 14, 2024, said that through the series of security town hall meetings with the FCT Area Councils as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the FCT Administration was able to get the cooperation of residents in the fight against insecurity.
According to the FCT Minister, “We took a lot of steps. One of the steps we took was to really make sure that we visited all the Area Councils to have town hall meetings with stakeholders and see how they can have a buy-in in what the government intends to do. That visit alone I can tell you contributed to some of the successes we have recorded today.
“Then again, we have a very proactive Police Commissioner in the person of Benneth Igwe who also knows the terrain of Abuja. He has been the DC of Police in charge of operations and he is now the CP and the area is not new to him.
“Within a week, we were able to apprehend the major culprits, those who are behind the series of kidnapping in the FCT”.
The Minister however lamented the poor compliance with the payment of ground rent in the FCT and called on FCT residents to live up to expectations by paying their ground rents to encourage the provision of infrastructure and basic social amenities.
Speaking on other aspects of city management, Barr. Wike also disclosed that in addition to the launching of the first set of CNG buses and provisions for the procurement of more buses in the 2024 budget, private investors were also showing interest in introducing CNG buses and taxis to the FCT. He said tricycles would be totally restricted from the major districts of the FCT when these buses and taxis fully come into operation.
The Minister also stated that the FCTA has made provision for the construction of bus terminals for the various routes in the FCT, adding that only registered buses and taxis would be allowed to ply designated routes in the FCT as part of the city’s transportation policy.
On the provision of housing, the Minister said there were many requests for land allocation for mass housing in the FCT, but insisted that the FCTA will only grant allocation to genuine investors with proof of funds and capacity to provide mass housing.
On the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, the Minister said it had been done to encourage career progression in the FCT. He said the FCT Civil Service Commission would also help to strengthen the bureaucratic structure of the Service, improve dedication and performance and encourage overall human capital development.
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On party politics, the FCT Minister said that though he is still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his focus is on governance and how to deliver the mandate of the President in the FCT. He said, “The President has given me an assignment. When the time comes for politics, then we will know”.
The Minister who insisted that his doors were always open for genuine discussions about issues on development, said he welcomes thoughts on how to improve revenue generation and legislation for the development of the FCT.
Barrister Wike also reiterated that security is one of the key priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu and disclosed that approval has also been granted by the President for emergency procurement of security gadgets for the security agencies in the FCT.
He said that the approval by the President has helped to eliminate unnecessary delays in the procurement process.
The FCT Minister who lamented that the security agencies in the FCT were not adequately equipped, said, “I told Mr. President that we have to do something and there must be emergency procurement of these equipment because if we go through the normal process of procurement, it takes you months”.
The FCT Minister also disclosed that the requests made by the FCT Area Councils for road construction and provision of police divisions to tackle insecurity were also being addressed. He said a provision has also been made in the FCT’s 2024 statutory budget for the construction of more rural roads in the FCT Area Councils to improve security.
Barr. Wike however stressed that the fight against insecurity cannot be left to the government alone. He said residents must also provide timely intelligence that will help to nip insecurity in the bud in the FCT.
Speaking on revenue generation, the FCT Minister commended the President for the exit of the FCTA from the TSA and for providing the needed support for actualising the Renewed Hope Agenda in the FCT.
The Minister added that the funding of infrastructure projects in the FCT has been attached to revenue generation, which he said has increased the confidence of contractors and contract variations, adding that preparations were in top gear to roll out the FCTA’s achievements in the past year to mark the President’s one year in office in May.
